European Seismological Commission XXVIII General Assembly, Genoa, Italy, 2002
F. Di Martino, L. Cantore, E. Balzano
The Città della Scienza is the interactive Science Museum in Naples whose main objective is the diffusion of the scientific culture. This is done by developing exhibits and educational activities based on the concept of "learning by doing". This means to make museum visitors able to have a hands-on experience of science phenomena by performing computer simulation, observations and interpretations of scientific experiment. This innovative approach enables a more direct contact with schools and the general public; in addiction, conferences, workshops, educational activities and specialise training courses are organised with the aim to bring together the research, teachers and the general public. In the diferent activities developed on Earth science, the EduSeis project plays an important role since it concerns public awareness about seismic risk. In particular, in the Neapolitan area, characterized by seismic and volcanic activities, the project represents an efficient tool for informing and creating awareness about the seismic risk, thanks to the direct involvement of schools and to action of the museum on the territory. Since 1996 Città della Scienza has had in its exhibition area a seismometer of the Eduseis network. The museum is an adequate location for the seismometer, since much of the practical teaching of science in Italian high schools is organized through the museum. The data stored in the seismic station are available to everyone and can be used in a number of lab activities. A network between the centre and schools promote a more effective acquisition of multidisciplinary knowledge (Geology, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, etc.) and of the abilities necessary for the analysis of the siesmograms produced by our EduSeis stations network or downloaded from the Internet archives. Also the conferences and events for the museum's visitors will have an interactive style and will foresee an active participation of the public. Session: SWS-1 School Yard Seismology - Educational Approach to Seismology Poster presentation.